answered Fred, very frankly.

"Mikail did hate the idea of her marriage," said Boris, reflectively. "I
could understand this better if I thought that he was trying to keep her
inheritance from her to show his dislike. But it cannot be that. There
is something very mysterious. I wish my father were here! I think
perhaps he would understand."

"Where is he, Boris?"

"With the army by this time! He did not believe there would be war, to
the very last. That is the only reason I am still here. But he himself
was called back as soon as things began to look serious. I stayed here
with my tutor but he is gone now. He is a German, and has been called
out. It is fortunate that my father had gone, because the Germans would
have held him, of course, if he had been here. They have come here three
or four times to look for him, but now I think they have decided that we
have told the truth, and that he is not here."

"How did you happen to come to my aid in such a fashion? I was
beginning to think that I was in serious danger down there."

"You were, Fred! They thought you were an English spy. And they hate the
English worse than they do us, I think. They have thought that the
English should be on their side. When they found it could not be so,
they thought that at least England would be afraid to fight."

"I see that. But you--what brought you out?"

"I know those people. And when I saw that they were attacking someone,
it seemed to me that I couldn't just stand by and look on. It was sure
to be someone on my own side that they were treating so--the cowards!
But a mob is always cowardly. And, of course, I knew that I could manage
easily with the automobile. They were sure to scatter when they saw it
coming, because they are afraid of motors, anyway."

"Well, you can belittle it as much as you like, but you certainly saved
me from an awfully nasty situation. And you didn't know who I was,
either!"

"No, I didn't, of course. But it makes me feel all the better to find
out it was you, Fred. Still you know we're not out of the woods yet."

"We're all right here, aren't we?"

"I don't know. I think the Russians will be in East Prussia, and well
in, before very long. If that happens and the German army is pushed back
of this line, these people will be entirely out of control, except if
Russian troops happen to come to this particular spot--and there's no
especial reason why they should."

"You mean they might attack the hous